Get To Know Him - Stephen Vogt

The Oakland Athletics are just 13-22 this year and currently sit in last place in the AL West. However the only team in the AL West with a non losing record are the Houston Astros. So this division is still very much up for grabs.

Oakland always gets by with a roster most casual baseball fans have never heard of. This year is no different but there is one player everyone needs to know about as he's likely headed to the MLB All-Star Game.

Stephen Vogt has been the biggest surprise for the Athletics and fantasy baseball owners so far this season.

The 30 year old catcher is hitting .337 with 9 home runs and an AL best 30 RBI. His strikeout to walk ratio is almost even with 18 strikeouts and 15 walks. He supports a .420 OBP and is slugging .673.

Vogt ranks in the top 10 of all hitters in the following offensive categories:

HR

RBI

AVG

OBP

SLG

WAR

It's shocking that it took this long for Vogt to become a starter in the big leagues. Vogt spend roughly 8 years in the minor leagues and hit at every level. He's a career .305 minor league hitter.

Let's talk about the catchers on this list. Stephen Vogt has been destroying minor league pitching for years now but the Athletics have "MLB Ready" catchers on the roster. If he ever gets traded to a team that needs a power hitting catcher that doesn't strike out, he could prove very valuable both in real baseball and fantasy baseball. Wait, doesn't every team need this kind of catcher? - Top AAA Hitters Post April 2013

Vogt was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2007 but then traded to the Athletics in 2013. Once he was traded, the Athletics decided to make Vogt a full time catcher. Vogt was splitting time between the outfield and catcher, if not playing more outfield with his time in the Rays system.

Oakland Athletic fans love Stephen Vogt, thanks to his defensive versatility and clutch hitting. Follow him a little bit and he'll start to grow on you as well.